Replaceable top lift



March 1959 J. F. FITZSIMMONS 2,873,594

REPLACEABLE TOP LIFT Filed July 14, 1958 ,Jl/IIIIIIIIIIIA'IIIIII/ INVENTOR.

United States Patent 2,878,594 REPLACEABLE TOP LIFT James F. Fitzsimmons, Winchester, Mass, assignorto Fitz-0n Heel Corporation, Belmont, Mass, a corporation ofDelaware Application July 14, 1958, Serial No. 748,298

2 Claims. (Cl. 36-34) The present invention comprises a new and improved detachable top lift structure for womens high heels.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a womans shoe, having a high slim heel, with a top lift attachment effective both to strengthen the slim portion of the heel and at the same time to allow quick, easy, and inexpensive replacement of the top lift without injury to the heel such as frequently occurs in dealing with a standard lift attached by nails.

Difiiculty has been encountered heretofore with detachable top lifts being pulled off the heel by catching in sidewalk gratings or even in heat-softened asphalt. An object of the present invention is to obviate much trouble and insure a firm and reliable grip on the lift and yet one that may be overcome by sufficient force properly applied.

These purposes are carried out generally by forming a heel with a triangular tube of spring metal inserted forcibly into a hole drilled into the heel from the top lift end; the tube receiving a triangular-shaped shank that is formed integrally with the lift; the shank, with the lift, being retained in position by one or more wedge-shaped ribs extending along the length of the shank which wedge against inner walls of the tube in an increasing degree as the shank, with the lift, is pressed into position and thus retain the shank under firm frictional engagement. In this arrangement the tube operates to strengthen the heel and also to receive and retain the lift.

The lift itself is preferably molded in one piece from nylon or other resinous plastic and has an integral shank which rises from the inner face of the top lift body. It sometimes occurs that the triangular tube is not fully seated in the heel or that it is permitted to work out to an extent that a thin-edged rim is exposed beyond the tread face of the heel. In continued wear this rim cuts into or indents the body of the top lift about the base of the shank and so starts a crack causing the body of the top lift to break off from its shank.

In accordance with an important feature of the invention this danger is obviated by forming in the body of the top lift a continuous valley located at the base of the shank and surrounding the same in position to receive the end of the tube and afford clearance therefor, thus safeguarding the body of the lift against scoring or cutting even if the retaining tube becomes misplaced as explained above.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a view in elevation, partly in section, showing the complete heel, and

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective showing the unitary top lift with its shank.

The heel shown in Fig. 1 is typical of those to which the invention relates and may be turned from wood,

of the heel 10.

2,878,594 Patented Mar. 24, 1 959 metal or molded from plastic or a combination of any or all of them. It is of the usual shape of a woman's heel, having an overall height of 2" to 3", more or less, depending on the style and fashion of the shoe. The invention is not limited to any particular size or shape, but is adaptable to any womans heel which comes under the general description of a high heel. The heel'seat surface is given a concave curvature to fit the heel seat of the sole of the shoe.

The first step in the application of the top lift to the heel consists in drilling a circular hole 11 from the outer or tread face of the heel 10, and as herein shown the hole 11 extends toward the heel seat face for one half or two-thirds of the length of the heel. Fitted firmly into and extending its entire length into hole 11 is a metal tube 12 herein shown as formed triangular in cross section and having rather sharp vertex edges. This tube is somewhat greater in its cross-sectional dimensions than the dimensions of the hole 11 and can be inserted into the hole by exerting sufficient pressure thereon to cause its sharp vertex corners to broach well defined passages in the walls of the hole. The tube 12 is preferably made from spring sheet metal since a certain amount of resiliency is required of the tube for the attachment to function properly. The tube 12 serves both as a strengthening member for the heel 10 and as a socket for shank 16 of lift 15.

The top lift is shown in perspective in Fig. 2. It may be molded from plastic, hard rubber, or other suitable material. The baseor body 15 is formed so that its sides will fit flush with the sides of the heel when the lift is in place. The tread of the lift may be knurled or otherwise treated to provide traction. This is not shown and is not part of the invention.

The lift is provided with a shank 16 and a rib 17 that are formed integrally with the body of the lift so that all comprise one piece. The shank is /8" to 1" in length depending on the model of the shoe and is triangular in cross section. The dimensions of the shank are just slightly less than those of tube 12 so that the upper portion of the shank may be forced into tube 12 easily but without undue play. On one of the side faces of shank 16 is a wedge-shaped rib 17. This rib starts at a point below the end of the shank and runs to the base of the shank and to the inner face of the top lift body 15, rising at a gentle angle so as to be gradual in its wedging action when inserted in the tube.

As shown in Fig. 2 the body 15 of the top lift has in its inner face a continuous valley 18 located at the base of the shank 16 and surrounding the same in position to receive the end of the metal tube 12 which as shown in Fig. 1 telescopically encloses the shank 16 with its rib or ribs 17. The base of the shank is rounded or provided with a fillet which merges into the curvature of the valley 18, the latter being substantially semicircular in cross section. The rib 17 is shown as having its larger end also curved and merging into the curved configuration of the valley.

It has been found desirable in some cases to shape the rib 17 so that the sharp edged rim of the tube 12 will shear a thin shaving from its thicker end when the shank 16 is forced into place. Such action has been found to improve the holding power of the tube and shank connections in retaining the top lift in place.

In Fig. 1 the end of the tube 11 is shown as occupying a position substantially flush with the tread face It will be apparent, however, that should this tube be" displaced outwardly its sharp edged rim will not cut into the body 15 of the top lift but will find clearance in the valley 18. Accordingly the top lift, regard less of the cross section of the tube and stem, is safe.

guerded ggainst cutting 95 scoring which would tend to cause breakage.

Havin'g' 'thiis" disclosed my invention and described an illustrative embodiment thereof I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters fatent: 1

A eplac fab p ift vc mp isi ,e bod perfiQ having an' outer fiat itjr'egd fzicel'mfil "inner 'fgge parallel thereto, and an integral shanleof triangular cross rs qfi on rising from its innef'fifce, the body 015 {he toplift a nuous Willey lnf jated atlthe'base"pf-ih liaplg and surrounding the'srme in' osirion, 10f receive" the end of a metal tube enclosing the'said shqnk.

' 2. A replaceable top'lift as described in claim 1 in which the s a k s P vid d 9 99 faces h a miss.- ing" fier'ie-sliaiidribierminating at its larger end in the valley which surrounds the base of the shank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED $12,311.35 PATENTS 

